Chapter Twenty-Nine

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Ewar and I are shaken by what we have learned. We must notify everyone of what's going on before it's too late - but we do have to be careful about it. We can't announce that Alistair sent us a message, mainly because the written word won't be invented for another few thousand years.

That means we'll have to fib a little.

First thing to do is track down Seti. We claim that the gift he delivered from Alistair was an offering meant to open communication between myself and the Great Spirits. As the offering burned in the pit, I gazed into the fire and heard their voices speaking from beyond. The Great Spirits gave a dire warning - cannibalistic killers are preying on people throughout the region.

Seti doesn't bat an eye at any of this. He is aware of Alistair "communicating" with the spirit world too. How else would the mighty Mayant-hattatar give such good advice to the people who come to him for guidance?

Seti confirms everything we read in Alistair's letter. Not wasting any time, Ewar calls for a meeting. Arl, the tribe elders, and Akob are in attendance. Seti is our witness. He becomes visibly nervous at the attention heaped on his young shoulders. With my whispered encouragement, he overcomes his anxiety and recites what he knows about the situation - which is a lot when you consider he's only around thirteen years old.

Arl furrows his brow at the conclusion of Seti's story. "The leader of the Soul Eaters was found dead?"

Ewar nods. "Maru was killed. And his tribe-" He glances at Akob and frowns. "- was eaten, just like the Wolf People."

"What does this mean?" Arl wonders.

"It means another tribe adopted the Soul Eaters' way of life and then annihilated them." Ewar wisely keeps silent about a fear I had expressed to him in private. Ora, Maru's exiled son, has to be behind it somehow. Who else would be crazy enough to copy the Soul Eaters' dietary plan? But since there is no proof, we keep that opinion to ourselves.

Akob's expression has become as dark as night. "My people were murdered by this new tribe? Not by the Soul Eaters we have always known?"

"Correct. Your people were not the first, nor were they the last, to have been harmed by this new tribe. They are a threat to us all."

Akob shoots up into a standing position and paces the room, absorbing the news. He stops suddenly and spins around. "As soon as the snow melts, I will find them and avenge my father's death."

"You can't fight them on your own," Ewar says. "They would end you in an instant."

"I do not care!"

I shake my head at him. "You don't mean that. You have a wife and a son now. They need you. You can't throw your life away for nothing."

His rage is replaced by agony. "What am I to do then, Bella? They stole everything from me!"

"Do not worry," Arl says. "I swore that my people would help you. I will not forsake that promise. We will begin our hunt for the tribe who wronged you once the warm season returns."

Ewar's attention snaps to where his uncle sits. "You cannot be serious."

"I most certainly am."

"But we cannot! This tribe is nothing like the Soul Eaters, Arl. They are stronger, bolder, and less predictable. We are not prepared to fight them!"

Arl expels a long sigh. "What do you suggest we do, then?"

"We should join Mayant-hattatar at the Cave of Life as he requested. If we combine our fighters with the people who have already fled there for protection, we have a better chance at defeating this new tribe."

"Wouldn't that mean we would have to move all of our people to the Cave of Life?"

"Yes."

Arl rubs at his face, a look of exasperation spreading like cracks in a vase. "What you want is too great of a challenge. It is winter, and the Cave of Life is a five-day journey away from here. We have young children and elders who can barely walk even when no snow lies on the ground. They would never make it."

Rising frustration causes Ewar to speak through his teeth. "We will find a way to help get our weaker tribe members there. No one will be left behind."

Arl goes silent. A full minute drags by as he muses over what Ewar has suggested.

"We cannot risk such a journey."

"Arl!"

Arl raises a hand to silence Ewar's outburst. "We shall remain here. Even you must agree that traveling with our families across the grassland while that tribe is hunting people down would be dangerous."

"Yes, but-"

Arl nods and cuts Ewar off. "This is our home. I refuse to be chased from it. The gorge offers adequate protection for our village. Not even the Cave of Life offers such security. And when the time comes, we will track down that horrid tribe and make them regret what they did to our friends. We will make our homeland safe once again."

Ewar hollows his cheeks. I imagine he is attempting to stay calm. When he does speak again, his words are carefully chosen. "The tribe causing all this trouble isn't like anything we have encountered before, Arl. Even Mayant-hattatar is concerned about them. What makes you believe we can defeat them by ourselves?"

Arl spreads out his arms. "We belong to the largest tribe in all the land! And with the addition of Akob and his men, we are stronger than ever. This new tribe does not stand a chance against us." Arl turns his attention to Seti. "Young man, inform Mayant-hattatar that we have chosen not to abandon our home, but please let him know that I am thankful for his offer of hospitality."

Ewar rockets up into a standing position. His voice is hard as stone. "I hope we do not come to regret this, Arl."

With that cutting remark, he storms out of the meeting.

Later, I find him in our house. He lies in bed staring morosely at the ceiling. I sit beside him and take his hand. "Well, you sure do know how to make a dramatic exit from a room."

His lips twitch but doesn't quite form a smile. "What happened after I left?"

"Nothing exciting. Arl looked a little sad about how upset he made you and dismissed everyone from the meeting. Ehmay invited Seti to stay overnight, but he said he needed to head back home while the weather is still decent. I told him goodbye for you."

"Hmm."

Ewar doesn't say anything else. I wet my lips uneasily. "Why didn't he listen to you?"

Ewar exhales like it's his last breath. "Arl was not born a fighter. He could have remained the village healer all of his days and been content. But my father died, and I was too young to become leader. Arl took on the burden in my place and has done the job well. He prefers peace, which I usually admire, and avoids conflict as much as possible.

"His only flaw is that he cannot conceive that another tribe could ever beat us in battle. In the past, when another group showed aggression, all it took was for us to show a united front to get them to back off. The conflict was always over something minor, like a disagreement concerning territory boundaries or who had the right to pursue a certain herd of elk. But, those tribes never attacked our village. Their problem was with us - not our elders, children, and women back home. Those tribes had honor." Ewar makes a disgruntled face. "I doubt this new tribe knows what honor is."

I give his hand a gentle squeeze. "What should we do now?"

He goes on staring at the ceiling. It takes forever before he comes up with a response.

"I don't know."

My eyes narrow suspiciously at him. "Will you still go to battle against that tribe?"

"If Arl says that it is time to go, I will."

I drop his hand like a hot potato. "But you said that fighting them by ourselves would be a terrible idea!"

"I cannot abandon Arl and the rest of my people just because I don't agree with all of his decisions. We fight as one."

A groan comes out of me. Ewar is too loyal for his own good.

Despite my irritation with him, he persuades me to lie down. We both need each other's comfort at this moment. My head is over his heart. His arm is draped around me. I could stay like this for the rest of my life.

All is well until a sudden jolt of realization rattles me to the core.

"We're forgetting something important, Ewar. Those Soul Eater knockoffs are more likely to find us before Arl and Akob ever get the chance to track them down. Do you remember what the Wolf People were doing when they were attacked?"

"They were asleep," he says straightforwardly.

"That's right. So it happened at night. And what about all those other people we heard about? The ones who managed to survive and flee to the Cave of Life?"

"Alistair said they were attacked at night as well." Ewar squints as he connects the dots. "You are saying that this tribe attacks only when they believe everyone's guard is down."

"Exactly. Night is when most tribes are at their most vulnerable. That's why the bastards only attack then. They don't fight fair!"

He begins to nod. "Yes... yes, that makes sense. They avoid being seen during the day and hunt for people only at night."

"Probably. So, what are we going to do?"

He breathes out a puff of air from between his thinned lips. "I suppose we need to reevaluate how the village protects itself. Having only two or three people guarding the entrance won't stave off an attack for long. What we need is a plan... something that will prevent anyone from sneaking their way into the village when most of us are asleep."

"Sounds great. How do we do that?"

His expression becomes troubled as he considers the question. It isn't easy coming up with an answer. We lie there in reflective silence for so long that I begin to doze off.

With a quick intake of breath, he sits up in bed, jarring me awake. "I need to speak with Jas!"

We show up on Jas and Alie's doorstep minutes later. They are concerned about Arl's decision too, especially after we inform them of just how much potential danger we are facing by staying. So, while I visit Alie and the baby, Ewar and Jas put their heads together and strategize. Jas is good at making two things: footwear, and animal traps. The latter is what Ewar is interested in.

The two of them discuss the possibilities. A fire built at the village entrance has been the go-to method of defense for generations. However, that can be easily overcome with water, so it is quickly discarded. Snares carefully hidden along the gorge's pathways are considered next. Then, they too are soundly rejected. Ewar reasons that snares can't be relied on. They are too noticeable, and at most, would capture only a few of our human enemies - not nearly enough to make a difference if an entire tribe was attacking us. A pit trap is ruled out entirely due to how long it would take to dig through the frozen ground.

Their brainstorming session hits a dead end. As they regroup from the setback, Paytah gets fussy on Alie's lap. She sits him down on a floor mat and introduces some fist-sized stones to play with. He is too young to know what to do with them. For his entertainment, she and I begin stacking the stones into tall piles, resembling towers. This leads him to want to try it himself, but he soon comes up with an alternative game. With a simple kick at the base, he knocks down one of the towers. The stones scatter across the floor, taking down another tower in the process. Paytah erupts into laughter and claps at the mess he made.

Ewar, watching from the sidelines, smiles for the first time in hours.

He just got an idea.

Initially, Jas isn't sold on it. But once Ewar explains himself thoroughly, Jas changes his mind and backs him up. The four of us present the plan to Arl first thing the next morning.

"You want to do what?" Arl exclaims.

"We want to build a trap to protect the village."

Ewar draws a rough sketch of the gorge in the dirt at our feet. It is a winding maze of stone corridors amid the backdrop of rolling hills. At the gorge's narrowest point, a natural archway formed eons ago. We walk underneath it every day to visit the forest and stream.

Ewar points at the landmark on his map. "Jas and I want to place the trap here."

"What does this trap supposed to do exactly?"

"I will explain." Ewar uses his two fingers to "walk" along the dirt map. "Let us pretend that my fingers are the enemy. It is night. No friendly tribe would visit or wish to trade with us after the sun has set. Do you agree so far, Arl?"

"Yes..."

Ewar continues. "Our enemy is attempting to sneak up on us. First, they must pass through the gorge. But what they don't know is that we have a surprise for them." He draws a line across the section where the arch straddles the path. "A cord is strung low to the ground. All it takes is for someone (or something) to step on it, and..." He releases a fistful of pebbles across the map and smiles proudly. "Our enemy will be crushed underneath a mountain of rocks."

Arl looks up from the map. "You want to trigger a rock slide?"

"Only if it's necessary."

Arl goes on staring at him for an extended time.

"Have you gone mad, Ewar?"

Jas bursts out laughing. "I thought he had gone mad too when I first heard his plan. Now I understand. The concept isn't much different than that fox trap I built last winter."

Arl gives Jas the side-eyed. "Your trap didn't involve a rock slide. It was one stone that was meant to fall on top of the animal."

Jas smirks. "This time we're hoping to catch something bigger and smarter than a fox, so the trap had to be modified. It should still work, though."

"Why does the trap need to be set up at that particular spot?"

Ewar explains that when the rock slide comes tumbling down on top of our enemy, some may survive and attempt to climb over it to reach the village. But here comes the best part of the plan. The arch of stone would prevent anyone from just climbing over the pile. Ladders haven't been invented yet either, so they would be shit out of luck. Our enemy would be on one side of the gorge while we'd be safe and sound on the other.

Checkmate, assholes.

Arl looks at the map again and shakes his head in bewilderment. "I do not understand how it would help. Let us say that the enemy triggered the rock slide and they perished. That's all well and good, but what about us? The rocks would block our exit route. We would be trapped in the gorge until the mess was cleared!"

Ewar eyes him steadily. "Both you and I know that is not entirely correct."

Arl's bafflement transforms into shocked wonder. "You would be willing to reveal such a secret? One that has been passed down from leader to successor for untold generations?"

"I would. A secret is nothing compared to our tribe's survival. Surely, you agree with that."

At Ewar's commanding stare, Arl gives a humbled nod. "I do."

Neither one of them sheds any light on what they were just talking about. "Do you approve of our plan?" Ewar asks.

Arl frowns at the dirt map. "It is interesting... but I still do not see why all of this is necessary. Everyone knows how strong we are. No one would dare try to sneak up on us. This trap is too much work for something that isn't guaranteed to happen."

I can tell by Ewar's twitching eye that his patience has dried up. I step in to assist. "We doubt the tribe that attacked the Wolf People would care about our reputation, Arl. They attack at night when it's least expected. If we don't prepare for such an attack, we might all end up dead - exactly like Ilium!"

Alie makes her eyes go wide and pleading. "Listen to them, Father. We need more protection in case the worst were to happen. If you won't do it for us, at least do it for the children." She picks Paytah up, who smiles at Arl like he is the best grandfather in the world. "You wouldn't want Paytah to get hurt... would you?"

She's really laying the guilt trip on thick.

Good job, Alie!

Arl heaves a helpless sigh. "All right. Your point has been made. I will allow it."

Alie squeals and squeezes me with a hug. Ewar, however, holds off on the celebration. He knows Arl isn't finished talking.

"I still do not understand how this trap will ever work, though I do imagine it will take many days to build such a thing. That being said, I am appointing you, Ewar, to oversee its construction. I will encourage our people to help you with it, but I will not force anyone, either. That is all I will do regarding the trap. The rest is your responsibility. Are we agreed on this?"

Ewar nods. "Yes. I will handle it."

And handle it he does.

The following weeks are a whirl of activity and Ewar is at the center of it all. Through the threat of snow and sleet, he and a crew of a dozen men and women take on the monumental - but not impossible - task. Following Jas' design, a wall of logs is constructed on the hillside. Its job? To act as a retaining wall to hold back the rocks being dumped by the basketful. More impressive boulders are found in the higher elevations and are rolled to the spot. One stone is wedged at the base of the retaining wall. A series of ropes are carefully strung up, connecting the stone to the trip cord on the path down below.

I almost feel sorry for whoever is fated to step on it. The retaining wall will collapse, sending a few tons of rock and logs raining down on top of them.

The day comes when the project is completed. I am so insanely proud of Ewar. The kiss I give him is barely a reward for all the hard work he put in, but he seems to think it's just right.

Jas has the honor of activating the trap each night. At dawn, he carefully removes the trip cord so the villagers can come and go from the gorge as they please. We stock up on water just in case we do end up trapped inside the village for a few days due to a rock slide. It's better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes.

Winter begins to wane. Spring is so close that you can feel it in the air. Akob is eager to leave the village and track down those who harmed his people. Before it can be arranged, the village is hit by an illness. More than half come down with fever and chest congestion. Arl works overtime to treat everyone, pouring medicinal teas into their mouths and placing poultices on chests to break up the mucus in their lungs. Fortunately, the illness isn't deadly. No one is harmed in the long run. However, it does take weeks before the weakest members of the tribe are fully recovered.

The songbirds have new hatchlings in their nests when Arl declares that the time has come. The men will be leaving shortly to start the pursuit. Jas already taught Alie and me how to set and disable the trap by ourselves for this reason. Although it's nice to know we will be protected while they are away, I am still scared out of my mind. Our best fighters - husbands, fathers, brothers, dear friends - will be going on a dangerous mission in exactly three days.

What will protect them while they are out searching for those ruthless killers?

As we lie in our bed on this moonless night, Ewar tries to put my mind at ease by telling me things he wouldn't dare share with anyone else. He whispers that nothing will come of their mission. That tribe might be anywhere by now. Tracking them down would take possibly years - and no one has that kind of time to devote to such a task. The Bat People will eventually have to give up and return home. He thinks the search won't last beyond Damara's festival.

With those promising thoughts etched into my heart, I fall asleep. My dreams are lighter. Ewar will be safe. He will come home soon. Everything will turn out fine.

Then, a clap of thunder rattles our eardrums.

An earthquake shakes the house. Ewar jumps to his feet and pulls me from bed. He snatches his spear and my bow from where we store them. It isn't until after he shoves a tunic over my head and drags me outdoors do I realize what actually occurred.

The trap was triggered.

The village center becomes a gathering place for our family and neighbors. Everyone is scared and confused at being woken up so late at night. Arl lights a torch and orders everyone but a select few to remain where they are. The rest are to follow our leader. Ewar tugs me along, refusing to let me leave his sight. When we reach the village exit, Arl places a finger to his lips. We creep down the main passage of the gorge, the torch our only light source. A short walk later, we come up on a wall of rocks blocking the path.

Ewar's idea worked exactly as intended. The rock slide combined with the gorge's unique geology will prevent anyone from easily scaling over the debris.

The possibility that the trap went off by accident is quickly dismissed. It's also doubtful that an animal is at fault. This alone is a disappointment. I wouldn't have minded if a cave bear was prowling around and triggered the trap. Hell, I'd even take a pack of starving wolves at this point. Anything except what I am currently hearing on the other side of this wall of stone.

There are shouts and screams - all clearly human.

It takes a while before the noise dies down. Arl raises his voice to be heard. "Hello! Who dares enter my people's territory by cover of night?"

I hold my breath. No one answers right away. By the time I suck in more oxygen, we hear a distant response.

"It is the Soul Eaters."

Arl is too stunned to reply at first. "... I was told that the Soul Eaters were no more. Maru and his tribe were killed last winter."

Cackling laughter drifts from the opposite side of the rock pile. "Have you not heard? The Soul Eaters underwent a change in leadership! Two members of the old tribe were wise enough to switch to my side. The rest, however, were put out of their misery. They had an attachment to my father and refused to show allegiance to me."

Ewar and I share a mutual look of alarm. Our hunch has been proven correct.

Fuck!

Ewar whispers to Arl. "It is Ora. He was Maru's son, the one who gave us problems before."

Arl nods in appreciation of the reminder and returns to dealing with the attempted intruder. "You must be Ora."

"How wonderful that you remembered my name! Too bad you lack in other areas of being a good host, like hospitality. I lost several of my men because of these stones you dropped on top of us."

Arl ignores Ora's jab. "We must protect ourselves as we see fit. Why are you here? It is the dead of night."

"You kept what rightfully belongs to me during my last visit. I am here to take back what is mine."

"What do you claim belongs to you?"

"The Goddess, of course."

Every eye on our side of the rock pile looks in my direction. It makes me nervous. I inch a little closer to Ewar.

Arl lifts his chin defiantly. "We have no goddesses here. Look elsewhere if that is what you seek."

"You lie! Damara lives among you!"

"That was a misunderstanding, Ora. Bella did not speak our language when she first arrived and could not tell us who she was. We assumed she was Damara, but we were wrong. It took many days before we learned the truth. Bella worked for the Goddess as her loyal assistant. She was sent here on a mission for Damara. When that mission was fulfilled, she chose to remain in our village as my successor's wife. Bella is mortal - no different from you or I."

"Do you think I am a child? Someone who believes everything you speak? I saw the Goddess with my own eyes! She can capture souls on her magic stone! No mortal possesses such power."

Ewar butts in before Arl can reply, spewing out the excuses we've been using for years. "What power she once had was borrowed from the Goddess! Damara took it all away when Bella chose to remain here permanently! She is an ordinary woman now. She-"

"I am tired of these games! Release Damara to me and I will spare your people. If you refuse, my tribe will take every soul in your village. It is your choice!"

Arl closes his eyes and exhales before rendering his decision. "Bella is a member of the Bat People. She is under our protection. We will not give her to you."

"Did you hear that, men? They are keeping Damara to themselves. What do you think about that?"

A chorus of angry shouts echo through the gorge. Ora laughs again.

"I am glad you feel the same as I do! We will begin clearing the path at daybreak. Damara will be ours!"

Their cheering chills me to the bone.

None of us says a single word as we leave the scene. It isn't until we are close to the village that Arl signals for us to stop and listen to him.

"What was said between Ora and myself will not be repeated to anyone else," he orders. "I do not wish to alarm our people, nor will I allow them to blame Bella for that man's foolish delusion. Are we understood?"

No one disagrees.

The villagers are waiting anxiously by the center fire when we return. They immediately bombard Arl with questions.

What happened? Are we in danger? Should we hide the children?

Arl hushes them before attempting to speak. "The tribe who murdered our dear friends, the Wolf People, attempted to attack us tonight - but they were unsuccessful! Our trap struck down some of our enemy. The rest are unable to pass the rock slide."

The crowd reacts positively to the news. Many sighs of relief can be heard.

Arl continues. "That is all I can say for now. Please return to your homes and rest. We should know more in the morning."

The majority of the villagers follow his instructions. I don't. Ewar and I cozy up to the center fire, our weapons within arms reach. Sleep is out of the question for us. I can't stop shaking. And Ewar looks like he's ready to slaughter somebody. He relaxes only when I take his hand.

The night drags by. Arl visits us to give a pep talk. He believes the Soul Eaters 2.0 aren't going to stick around for long. By morning's light, he says, they'll see exactly how big of a rock slide is on their hands and give up this silly notion of raiding the village.

I smile, but I don't share his optimism.

Ora seems like the kind of psycho who never gives up. We could tell him that we have deadly traps up and down the damn gorge and he would probably just give an indifferent shrug. I bet he would be perfectly fine with risking the lives of his men as long as he gets something good out of it.

At the first rays of dawn, Ewar volunteers for a lone spy mission. He plans to climb a nearby slope and belly crawl to a place overlooking where he set his trap. It should give him a good vantage point to see what's going on down below.

Ewar is gone for longer than I like. I've bitten down a few fingernails to the quick by the time he's back. His expression is grim. Before anyone can ask questions, he pulls me into a tight embrace.

"There are at least sixty of them, Bella," he whispers hurriedly into my ear. "They were moving around too much. I could not count them all."

My mouth goes dry. This can't be happening. How in the hell did Ora manage to get so many people to accept him as their leader?!

A small crowd has gathered around Arl. All are waiting to hear what information Ewar may have gathered.

"They have already begun removing the rocks," he reports. "Ora leads them better than I expected. He is pushing them to work hard and no one is complaining."

Arl frowns with disappointment. "I had hoped they would give up and leave."

Mett smirks. He strikes his palm with a fisted hand, miming a punch. "I say we get ready to fight. Send them back crying to their mothers!"

A few people laugh.

Not Ewar, though.

"You don't understand," he says passionately. "Their tribe is large... larger than any I have ever seen. For every man, woman, and child in our village, there are two of them. Maybe more! At the rate they are working, I would not be surprised if they are able to get through the rock slide within the next three or four days."

Worried murmurs spread through the crowd of listeners. Even Akob is hesitant about battling this new version of the Soul Eaters on our home turf. He lost one family member already. He does not want to lose Len and his baby too.

Arl seems to have suddenly aged ten years. He moves his mouth but no words come out. He shakes his head and tries again. "Are you certain of what you saw?"

"Yes. We should make plans now."

"I... What do you suggest?"

"We need to leave. Today, if possible."

One of our neighbors shouts frantically. "We can't! The rock slide has trapped us! We're all going to die!"

Ewar shoots him a scathing look. "You are wrong. Arl and I know of a secret route out of the gorge. It involves steep slopes and some climbing, but I have used that path before with no major problems. We can escape and the Soul Eaters won't be aware of it until days from now."

Arl can no longer stay on his feet. He stumbles over to a log and sits. "That route is rife with danger," he laments. "The weak and the very young cannot be expected to travel under such harsh conditions. We would also need to bring food, water, tents... Climbing with all of that would be an added burden. It would take the strength of a god to pull off such a feat."

"What else is there to do, Arl? Should we stay where we are and let them murder our families?"

Arl gulps. "N-no. I... I could try talking to Ora again. Perhaps there's a way to placate him."

Ewar starts shaking his head furiously. "You can't reason with a man like him. He knows what he wants and will not accept anything less."

Mett speaks up this time. He is much subdued from his previous cockiness. "If we did leave... where would we go?"

"There are others like us at the Cave of Life - people who have found sanctuary at the holy site. There is a good chance we can combine our fighters with theirs. Then, maybe, we might beat these new Soul Eaters."

"And you believe we can get out of the gorge without hurting anyone? I have children, Ewar. Afrin can't even climb a small shrub without falling."

"It can be done if we work together. I swear to you that your children - and everyone else in our tribe - will arrive at the Cave of Life safe and unharmed. But first, Arl must agree to the plan."

A dozen heads turn to see what our leader will decide. Arl's gaze is unfocused. He blinks several times. Gradually, the lost glaze in his eyes diminishes. He clears his throat and speaks from the heart.

"Ewar, for every problem we have faced as of late, you have come up with a solution. Much like your rock slide trap, you have once again proven how invaluable you are to the tribe. I am proud of you." He pauses. "But, I cannot oversee such a large expedition. It would take a man of considerable strength and foresight, qualities I do not possess. Nor do I have the spirit or youth of a true warrior. If I were to lead our people into battle against such a mighty foe, we would surely lose." He locks eyes with Ewar. Something unsaid passes between them. "Do you understand?"

Ewar stares back. Silence stretches on and on. His posture is stiff; his face is an inscrutable mask. Even I, the person who knows him better than anyone else, have no clue what's going on in that head of his.

After what feels like an eternity, he finally gives a reply to Arl's question.

"Yes, I understand." Slowly, Ewar turns his back on Arl and addresses the crowd of onlookers. "I am the son of Eed, the man who led this tribe before Arl. Today, I am taking what my father intended to pass on to me." He inhales deeply one last time before making it official. "I am now the leader of the Bat People."

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A/N-

Humans have used traps and snares to catch wild animals for thousands of years. Sadly, most of the materials they would have used rotted away eons ago, so there is very little evidence left behind of early human ingenuity. One type that has survived, the pit trap, was used as far back as 15,000 years ago in modern-day Mexico. People back then would drive a herd of mammoths toward a deep hole and then let gravity do its thing. I'm sure they threw a big barbecue afterward. Mmm... mammoth burgers.

In summary of this chapter: Ora wants Bella (the woman formally known as the Goddess™) and has amassed a group of similarly-minded crazies to help him capture her. Arl was in way over his head, so Ewar had to take over as the new tribe leader to get things done. Now, everyone will have to stage a big disappearing act before the army of prehistoric Hannibal Lecters swarms the village.

Did you get all that? Lol, I hope so.

Thanks for reading. :-)